a b s t r a c tAlthough the membrane cytoskeletal protein dystrophin of 427 kDa and its tightly associated glycoprotein complex are drastically affected in muscular dystrophy, recent large-scale proteomic investigations did not identify full-length dystrophin in muscle preparations and were unable to determine its molecular fate in dystrophinopathy. Because conventional two-dimensional gel electrophoresis underrepresents many low-abundance and membrane-associated protein species and in-gel trypsination is often hampered by an inefficient digestion of certain target proteins, here we have applied direct on-membrane digestion of one-dimensional blots of the sarcolemma-enriched fraction and the isolated dystrophinglycoprotein complex. This method succeeded in the mass spectrometric identification of dystrophin isoform Dp427 and associated glycoproteins as well as sarcolemmal dysferlin. In addition, protein bands representing established signature molecules of cross-contaminating membrane systems, such as the voltage-sensing dihydropyridine receptor of transverse tubules, the ryanodine receptor Ca 2+ -release channel of triad junctions, and the Ca 2+ -ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, were identified by mass spectrometry. Thus, proteomic approaches using on-membrane digestion might be suitable for future studies of low-abundance proteins, integral proteins, peripheral membrane proteins, and high-molecular-mass proteins. On-membrane digestion has the potential to develop into the method of choice for studying these classes of proteins, whose presence is otherwise missed by conventional gel electrophoresis-based proteomics.Ó 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.The sarcolemma provides a crucial structural attachment site for the basement membrane at the outside of the muscle cell and for the membrane cytoskeleton on the inside of contractile fibers, strengthening the muscle periphery during contraction-relaxation cycles. The membrane cytoskeletal protein dystrophin and its tightly associated glycoprotein complex play a key role in the stabilization of the fiber surface by providing a linkage between the extracellular matrix component laminin and the cortical actin cytoskeleton [1][2][3]. Full-length dystrophin has a molecular mass of apparent 427 kDa and exhibits a complex domain structure. The membrane cytoskeletal element consists of an N-terminal actin-binding domain, a central spectrin-like rod domain with proline-rich hinge regions, a cysteine-rich domain, and a C-terminal region containing membrane-binding sites [4]. Although biochemical and cell biological studies have clearly shown that the primary genetic deficiency of dystrophin results in the drastic reduction of the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex in X-linked muscular dystrophy [5], recent large-scale proteomic studies have surprisingly not identified dystrophin isoform Dp427 in gel electrophoretically separated muscle preparations [6][7][8][9]. Mass spectrometric approaches also failed to identify integral dystrophin-associated glycoprote...